Piano fall-board



Patented Jan. 3, 1950 PIAN O FALL -BOARD Edward L. Schroth, Cheviot, Ohio, assignor to The Baldwin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 3, 1947, Serial No. 789,447

Claims.

level. 5

A primary object of the invention is to provid a one-piece, readily operable fall-board which will occupy a minimum of vertical space so that the music desk can be located as near as possible to the plane of the keyboard.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fall-board having the above advantages and which will at the same time, clear the key action mechanism of the piano.

An additional object of the invention is to provide in connection with my fall-board an equalizer mechanism in which the inherent back-lash is held to a minimum, and which assures smooth and easy action.

Still another object is to provide a fall-board which can be operated easily and quietly in the covering or uncovering of the keyboard.

A further object is to provide an economical construction which is simple to manufacture, requires no separate hinges, and is quickly and easily installed in the piano.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple mechanism which will not only guide the fall-board in its rearward motion and prevent cocking during motion in both directions but which will also provide a virtual hinge for the fall-board in its fully withdrawn position to permit a downward tilting of the fall-board to cover the keys.

These and other objects of the invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following teachings, I attain by that arrangement and in that mode of operation of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment. Reference is made to accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional, fragmentary side view of a piano, taken just inside both the treble or right-hand end and the right-hand keyblock, includng a fall-board constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the fallboard in the closed position, in which the operable portions of the keys are covered;

Figure 2 is a similar view, but with the fallbcard in itsopen position, exposing the operable .l

2 the line A-A in Figure 2, which shows the detail of a pivoted guide member.

The fall-board assembly (see Figure 1) comprises the inclined portion I joined at an obtuse angle to the vertical front portion 2, arranged so as to enclose the manually operable part of the keyboard 3. It includes the U-shaped equalizer rod 4, the cross-portion of which is pivotally fastened by means of bushed bearing clips I2 to the rear edge of the fall-board inclined portion I. The arms of the equalizer 4 respectively engage in slidable relationship the pivoted guidemembers 5, one on each side of the piano. I prefer to curve the upper surface of the inclined portion 2 to improve the design appearance.

In conjunction with the fall-board assembly are shown the piano top 6, the music desk 1, the fall-board knobs 8, the keyslip 9, and the keystrip I Il. Keyblocks II are located at each side of the key assemblies.

The piano shelf I 5 extends between the end members I8 of the piano case, and its lower surface may be lined in full or in part with a felt liner I6 to protect the finish on the upper surface of the inclined portion I of the fall-board.

The guide members 5 are pivoted to the end members I8 of the piano case by means of screws I1, preferably somewhat above and to the rear of the rear edge of the key bed 2li, but in any event below the rear edge of the fall-board in its rearward position.

Slides I4 are provided for the rearward translation of the fall-board, and may be fastened as by screws directly to the end members I8.

The upper surface of the slides I4 may be coated with a graphite layer to reduce the sliding friction with the under surface of the inclined portion I of the fall-board.

The arms of the equalizer rod have a sliding fit in bores in the members 5. The arms must be long enough to engage the guide members 5 in all positions of the fall-board. Stop blocks I3 are fastened, aslant, to the end members I8 of the piano case and in such position as to support the arms of the equalizer rod when the fallboard is fully withdrawn, so that the cross-portion of the equalizer rod can in that position act as a virtual hinge or pivot for the fall-board to permit it to tilt downwardly and cover the keys as in Figure 1. Y

The fall-board may be shifted from its closed position as shown in Figure l to the open position shown in Figure 2 by lifting the front of the fall-board by means of the knobs 8 until the inclined portion l is horizontal, and then pushing the fall-board toward the rear. The upper vsurface of the keyblocks Il' serve generally to :guide the movement and to keep the vertical portion 2 clear of the keyboard 3. Ihe equalizer rod 4, the cross-portion of which parallels the back edge of the inclined portion I of the fallboard, being attached to it by means of the bushed bearing clips l2, causes both ends of the fallboard to recede equally, thus preventing mis- :alignment and possible jamming during the movement. The iront edge of the slides I4 act 'as stops to the rearward movement of the fallboard. The stop-blocks i3 limit the travel of the fall-board by virtue of their position in the path of the arms of the equalizer rod l'1L Figure 3 illustrates the manner in which the arms of the equalizer 4 engage the pivotedv guidemember 5. The screw Il, embedded in the end member i8 of the piano case, acts as a pivot about which the guide member `ean rotate. A washer I9 surrounding the screw Hand interposed-between the guide member and the support i8 facilitates smooth rotation of the guide,l member.

It can readily be seen that,V if a closevmechanical lit is maintained between the bearing clips,A I2y and the` cross-portion. ofthe equalizer rod il, between the guide members 5 and the arms of the equalizer rod t, and between the Vguider-members-B and the screws Il, practically no back-lash -will be pres'- ent,and both ends of the fall-board must `move equally, .without cooking.

Modifications can be made-in myinvention without departing from the spirit ofit. IHaving thus describedmy invention in an exemplary embodiment, whatlclaim as new and desire to -secure by Lettersy Patent is:

1. In combination in a musical instrumenta case, twoends for -said case, a-'keyboard-disposed horizontally between said ends, a `ialleboard having a covering and an uncover-ingvposition-with respect to said keyboard, slides-forsaid fall-board, an equalizing mechanisml comprising a U-shaped member having a cross-portion with two'arms connected thereto, and two guides pivoted on said ends, said cross-portion being: pivotallyconnected to said fall-board and said arms `having a-slidable relationship with respect-tosaid pivoted guides,

2. The combination as setforth -in claim 1, including stop blocks located on saidends, said arms of said equalizer being disposed against said stop-blocks in said coveringposition.

3. rEhe lcombinationas set forthin claim l, in which each of said pivoted Yguidescomprises a block having a transversehole acting asabear ing for the pivot oi said guide and -alongitudinal hole actingas a sliding bearing for one of -said arms.

4. The combination as set forth in claim-1, in'- cluding a strip in front-oi :said keyboard yand -a frontportion on said'fall-boardf, saldi-rontportion of said fall-boardhaving a-substantiallyeoplanar relationship with said stripin said iirst` portion, said portions being joined at an angle to form said rigid structure, a shelf located-above said slides at a distance greater thanthe maximum-thickness of said rear portion of rsaid fallincluding stop-blocks located below said slides,

said arms of said equalizer beingdisposed against Saldi stop-blocks when said fall-board is in the coveringA position.

7. Ina piano having a case with end members, a:keyboard,.a keyslip in front of said keyboard, a-zkeystripabove the rear portion of said keyboard, a shelf spaced above said key strip, a fall board havinga body portion and a front portion in rigid union and movable from a covering positionsin which said body portion is downwardly tilted and said front portion is substantially coplanar with. said keyslip to an uncovering position in which said body portion is substantially horizontal and saidv front portion substantially closes the space between said shelf and said key strip, and an equalizer rod for said fall-board having a cross-portion pivoted to the rear edge of said fall-board, and depending arms, said arms slidingly pivoted to said end members.

8. In a piano having a case with end members, a keyboard, a keyslip infront of said keyboard, a key strip above the rear portion of said keyboard, a shelf spaced above said key strip, a fall-board having a body portionand a front portion in rigid union and movable from a covering position in which said body portion is downwardly tilted and said front portion is substantially co-planar with said lkeyslip to an uncovering position in which said-body portion-is substantially horizontal and said front portion substantially closes the space between said shelf and said key strip, and an equalizerrod for said fall-board having a crossportion pivotedto the `rear edge of said fallboard,.and depending arms, said arms slidingly pivoted to said end members, said end members having stop means for said arms in the covering position whereby said equalizer rod forms a pivot for the tilting 0f said fall-board.

9. Ina piano having a case with end-members, a keyboard, a keyslip in front of said keyboard, a key stripabove the rear portion of said keyboard, a shelf spaced above said key strip, a fallboard having a body .portion and a front portion in rigid, union and movable from a covering position in which said body portion is downwardly tilted and said front portion is substantially coplanar with said keyslip to an uncovering position in which said body portion is substantially horizontal and said front portion substantially closes-the 4space between said shelf and said key strip, and -an equalizer rod for said fall-board having a cross-portion pivoted to the rear edge of said fall-board, and depending arms, said arms slidingly pivoted to said end members, said end members bearingguides engaging end portions ,of said fall-board body during lmovement thereof;

10. .The vcombination set Vforth in claim 6, wherein the rear edge of said rear portion of said fall-board is .supported by said equalizer member.

EDWARDL. SCHROTH.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the le of this patent. Re. 21,614

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 385,172 Delano June 26, 1888 531,057 Newby Dec. 18. 1894 6 Name Date Zeidler Jan. 14, 1913 Caroccio May 14, 1929 Day Nov. 5, 1940 

